Volterra, located in western Tuscany, is known both as the 'alabaster city' and 'the city of the wind'.
Alabaster is mined in Volterra and gracefully carved by local artisans. Volterra like many Etruscan towns is situated on a high plateau with uninterrupted views over the surrounding countryside. It is located so high in the hills, which separate the Cecina and Era valleys, that it became know as the 'city of the wind'.
The land Volterra rests on is in itself quite dramatic since it stands on eroding clay and sand soils. The ancient erosion process is practically impossible to stop and, century by century, it has brought the city closer to the edge of the cliff. This natural erosion has affected other famous hilltown such as Orvieto built on volcanic tufa which is in constant need of support.
Museo Etrusco Guarnacci Volterra
Via Don Minzoni, 15
56048 Volterra (PI)
p.+(0588)-86347
This museum contains one of the best collections of Etruscan artifacts in Italy. The Guarnacci museum is one of the earliest public museums in Europe. Founded in 1761 when the noble abbot Mario Guarnacci (Volterra 1701-1785) , a collector of antiquities, donated his archeological collection to “the citizens of the city of Volterra”. The donation also included a rich library of more than 50.000 volumes. Guarnacci not only prevented the dispersal of the treasured contents of the burial sites but also bequeathed a prestigious cultural heritage to Volterra.
The “Ombra della Sera” (Shadow of the Evening) so named by Gabriele d’Annunzio who said the bronze reminded him of a long shadow cast in the dying light of the evening is said to have influenced Giacometti’s sculptures.
Open: daily. There is an admission charge.
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